HITI - This European Country Is Expected To Have Millions Of Medical Marijuana Patients Say Experts | Benzinga
George Bernard Shaw once said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
When it comes to reforming stagnant marijuana attitudes and laws, institutional change needs to keep pace with shifts in society, which in 2023 is rejecting decades of stigma and wants justice for the failed War on Drugs. These societal changes are happening on the new and old continent as well.
In Europe, for starters, the second most populous country, Germany, is set to legalize marijuana in 2024 with the final vote scheduled for spring. The Netherlands recently launched legal marijuana as part of a four-year trial, while two recreational cannabis pilot projects in Switzerland reached the sales phase in December.
France recently took a step toward the generalization of medical marijuana and Ukraine’s unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada’ passed a bill last week on the legalization of medical cannabis. Though the bill was approved in a 248-16 vote, the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) parliamentary faction obstructed final approval. Despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's endorsement of medical marijuana, MP Yaroslav Zalizniak reported on Telegram that the bill's progress is on hold until mid-January. Even with the obstruction, opposition and postponement, the passing of the bill marks a huge milestone for this conservative country.
This April, the Czech Republic took a step toward legalizing cannabis sales to deal with addiction problems. In October, Malta, which became the first country in Europe to legalize recreational cannabis two years ago, issued Europe’s first-ever marijuana licenses permitting non-profits to grow and distribute marijuana.
What kind of progress is expected in 2024?
To find out, Benzinga reached out to industry experts such as Niklas ...